Package for take-away food products, in particular for pizza

ABSTRACT

A package has a base wall and a perimeter wall defining a housing, in which a support wall is provided defining the bottom of a compartment for a take-away food product, in particular for a pizza; the support wall is vertically spaced and substantially parallel with respect to the base wall, so as to define a gap in the lower part of the housing; the support wall defines a grid having a plurality of holes which establish communication between the gap and the compartment; a movable cover, provided to open/close the compartment, has a plurality of incisions which establish communication between the compartment and the outside environment.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention concerns a package for take-away food products, in particular for pizza and other baked products.

BACKGROUND ART

For the transport of freshly baked food products, the majority of packages of known type consist of cardboard boxes or stackable plastic trays and are made with characteristics such as to retain the heat inside as far as possible.

Another need to be met is that of avoiding condensation of the water vapour which naturally emanates from the food product when still hot. In particular, the condensation deposits on the inner surfaces of the package, comes into contact with the food product and tends to cause loss of its crispness. Therefore, it is expedient to avoid the formation of condensation, but without affecting the heat retention function.

To avoid the stagnation of air saturated with water vapour, the patent EP1851121 describes a package having a multilayer type cardboard wall, with a corrugated layer which defines, within the wall, a plurality of passages. Said wall is then provided with windows which define aeration holes open towards the outside.

The need is felt to improve this type of solution, so as to make it simpler and more effective, preferably without increasing the costs and/or continuing to support and transport the pizza in a stable manner.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a package for take-away food products, in particular for pizza, which meets the above need in a simple inexpensive manner.

According to the present invention a package is provided for take-away food products, in particular for pizza, as defined in claim 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting embodiment example, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a preferred embodiment of the package for take-away food products, in particular for pizza, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a different perspective which shows the package of FIG. 1 from a different point of view and with partially open walls; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of a cardboard sheet defining a blank for obtaining the package of FIGS. 1 and 2.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In FIG. 1, the reference number 1 indicates a package for transporting take-away food products, for example for transporting a pizza (not illustrated).

The package 1 is defined by a box made preferably of cardboard and comprising a lower horizontal wall 3 (FIG. 2) and an upper wall 4, which are vertically spaced from each other. The wall 4 is a movable cover, i.e. it can be rotated or removed, to open from the top the package 1 and access a compartment 6 adapted to house the pizza.

The package 1 further comprises a perimeter wall 7 which extends upwards starting from the perimeter of the wall 3, so as to delimit a housing 5. The wall 7 consists of a plurality of vertical plane walls, each coupled to a corresponding side of the wall 3 by means of a virtual hinge. In particular, the perimeter wall 7 consists of four rectangular walls, i.e. a front wall 10 a, a rear wall 10 b and two lateral walls 10 c. A retention system 9, of known type and not described in detail, is provided to hook the walls 10 a, 10 b, 10 c to one another and therefore maintain them in vertical positions.

In particular, the rear wall 10 b joins the wall 4 to the wall 3. At least one of the two edges between the wall 10 b and the walls 3 and 4 defines a virtual hinge for rotating the wall 4 about a horizontal axis and opening/closing the compartment 6.

The package 1 also has a retention device 12 of known type, configured so as to maintain the wall 4 lowered, to close the compartment 6. For example, the retention device 12 is defined by at least one tab, adapted to fit into a corresponding slit 13 obtained along the upper edge 14 of the front wall 10 a.

According to a variation not illustrated, the package 1 is without the wall 4 and defines a stackable tray, where the compartment 6 is adapted to be closed at the top by another package placed on top of the package 1.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the package 1 comprises a support wall 15, which is substantially flat and horizontal, is arranged in the housing 5 and is vertically spaced from the wall 3 so as to define a lower gap 16 (FIG. 2) in the lower part of the housing 5.

The wall 15 has an upper surface 17 defining the bottom of the compartment 6 and, therefore, a support for the pizza. The wall 15 is arranged at an intermediate height of the wall 7, so as to divide the housing 5 into two parts defined respectively by the compartment 6 and the gap 16. The distance of the surface 17 from the upper edge of the perimeter wall 7 must be sufficient to house the pizza avoiding contact with the wall 4.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the wall 15 comprises an intermediate portion, having substantially the dimensions of the pizza to be supported and defining a grid, since it has a plurality of through holes 18 which establish a communication between the gap 16 and the compartment 6 and have the function of reducing the extension of the surface 17 which comes into contact with the pizza. In particular, the holes 18 define a reduction in the contact area equal to at least 10%. Furthermore, the holes 18 allow the heat of the pizza to pass more easily into the gap 16, where a “cushion” of hot air forms which tends to insulate the wall 15 to limit cooling of the pizza. At the same time, the holes 18 favour evacuation of the condensation from the compartment 6 towards the gap 16.

Preferably, the holes 18 of the above-mentioned grid are identical to one another and have a uniform distribution.

Preferably, the height of the gap 16 is greater than 1 cm, in order to generate a sufficient circulation of hot air below the wall 15.

Advantageously, at least one of the holes 18 has dimensions sufficient to introduce hygroscopic granular material (for example grains of salt) from above into the gap 16 (before depositing the pizza in the compartment 6) in order to reduce the humidity of the air in the housing 5.

With reference to FIG. 2, the package 1 comprises a plurality of support elements which maintain the wall 15 and, therefore, the pizza in the housing 5 in the established design position.

Preferably, the support elements comprise a suspension wall 19 (partially visible in FIG. 2), which is made of the same material as that of the walls 15 and 10 a, is substantially vertical and is joined to the wall 10 a along the edge 14 and to the wall 15 along an edge 20 by means of respective virtual hinges. In other words, the walls 15, 19, 10 a and 3 constitute parts of one single piece, and the edge 20 remains hanging from the edge 14 thanks to the wall 19. At the same time, the slit 13 is defined between the walls 10 a and 19.

The above-mentioned support elements furthermore comprise at least one foot or tab 21, which is made of the same material as the wall 15, extends downwards starting from a corresponding edge of the perimeter of the wall 15 and, in turn, has a lower edge 23 resting on the upper surface of the wall 3. In other words, the tab 21 defines an appendage folded with respect to the wall 15. In particular, three tabs 21 are provided, arranged along the rear edge 24 and the lateral edges 25 of the perimeter of the wall 15. In this way, the support of the wall 15 is even more stable.

According to a not illustrated variation, at least one of the tabs 21 is replaced by one or more horizontal projections of the wall 15, defining respective teeth which engage corresponding seats obtained in the perimeter wall 7.

Advantageously, the above-mentioned support elements comprise at least one vertical tab 26 arranged in the gap 16 in a position such as to couple a central portion 27 of the wall 15 with a central portion 28 of the wall 3, to perform the function of a spacer and strut, and therefore support the weight of the pizza and prevent lowering of the portion 27 (which would limit the air circulation below the wall 15). The tab 26 terminates in a tooth or claw 29 which engages a slot 30 obtained in the portion 28, so as to retain the tab 26 in a vertical position. In particular, one single tab 26 is provided. Advantageously, the tab 26 and the wall 15 constitute part of one single piece, hence the tab 26 defines an appendage folded with respect to the portion 27 and with one of its edges resting on the portion 28. In this case, the engagement of the tooth 29 in the slot 30 opposes the “memory” effect of the material of the portion 27, which would tend to cause the tab 26 to return to the horizontal position.

According to variations not illustrated, the tab 26 is in one single piece with the wall 3, instead of with the wall 15; or the tab 26 is a piece distinct from the walls 3 and 15.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the compartment 6 of the package 1 is subject, in use, to circulation of air, since it communicates with the outside environment through:

-   -   at least one inlet 32 made in one of the walls 10 a and 10 b,         while the other of the walls 10 a and 10 b is completely solid,         i.e. without holes or openings, in the area of the compartment         6;     -   at least one outlet 33 made in at least one of the walls 10 c.

In this way, a flow of air is ensured inside the compartment 6, but with reduced or controlled entity, since the inlet 32 and the outlet 33 are provided in directions transverse to each other and therefore they are not aligned.

Advantageously, the inlet 32 and/or the outlet 33 are defined by holes forming part of the retention system 9.

Preferably, the inlet 32 and the outlet 33 lead only into the compartment 6, and not into the gap 16, which therefore remains completely closed by a lower area of the wall 7 throughout its perimeter.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, as it can be seen in FIG. 1, the wall 4 has a plurality of cuts or incisions 35 which establish communication between the compartment 6 and the outside environment for outflow of the hottest steam, which originates from the centre of the pizza immediately during the first seconds after closing of the compartment 6. The incisions are very narrow openings which allow the steam, but not the heat, to escape, so as to lower the humidity in the compartment 6 without lowering the temperature. Preferably, the incisions 35 have a ring shape (in this specific case an almost oval shape) so as to each surround a relative solid part 36, which is connected to the remaining part of the wall 4 by means of bridges (not visible in FIG. 1) which can be broken by simply pushing said solid part 36. If only some of said bridges are broken, it is possible to open wide each solid part 36 with respect to the remaining part of the wall 4 and slightly increase the extension of the openings. If said bridges are completely broken, the solid parts 36 are removed. In this way, the user can autonomously adjust the width of the openings towards the outside through the wall 4.

According to a preferred embodiment, the package 1 is produced starting from one single blank sheet 40 made of cardboard, obtained by means of die-cutting and illustrated in FIG. 3. Starting from one end (on the right in FIG. 3) and going towards the opposite end, the blank sheet 40 comprises: two projecting portions 41, defining the tabs 12; a quadrangular portion 42 defining the wall 4; a rectangular portion 43, elongated transversally and defining the wall 10 b; a quadrangular portion 44, having substantially the same shape and the same dimensions as the portion 42 and defining the wall 3, and two rectangular portions 45 elongated longitudinally, arranged along the sides of the portion 44 and defining the walls 10 c respectively; two rectangular walls 46 and 47, elongated transversally, arranged one after the other downstream of the portion 44 and defining the walls 10 a and 19 respectively, with two intermediate openings 48 defining the inlets for the slits 13; a quadrangular portion 50 having substantially the same shape and the same dimensions as the portions 42 and 44 and defining the wall 15; an intermediate portion 49 internal to the portion 50 and defining the tab 26; and three projecting portions 51 arranged along the sides of the portion 50 and defining the tabs 21 respectively.

The portions 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50 and 51 are joined to one another along their edges by means of so-called folding lines, defining respective virtual hinges to allow a user to form the package by simply folding the various portions of the blank sheet 40 with respect to one another.

In particular, in the portion 50 the holes 18 are closed by respective filling pieces 52, which are joined along their profile to the remaining part of the portion 50 so that they can be manually detached with ease.

From the above it is evident that the solution proposed is optimal for limiting the formation of condensation and therefore for maintaining the crispness of the pizza 2 for as long as possible. In particular, the package 1 provides an optimal compromise between the need to retain the heat and the need to avoid the formation of condensation in the compartment 6. In particular, the configuration of the support wall 50 is extremely important for obtaining said compromise. The construction characteristics that allow ventilation of the compartment 6 towards the outside and/or the circulation of air in the gap 16 and/or the absence of ventilation from the outside into the gap 16 contribute to ensuring an even more effective result.

Furthermore, the characteristics of the package 1 and, in particular, of the above-mentioned support elements contribute to making the proposed solution simple and to supporting the pizza in a stable manner.

Furthermore, the package 1 can be easily obtained at a limited cost by producing the blank sheet 40 and folding the various portions described above and clearly illustrated in FIG. 3.

Lastly, from the above it is evident that modifications and variations that do not depart from the protective scope of the present invention, as defined in the attached claims, can be made to the package 1 described with reference to the attached figures.

In particular, materials other than cardboard could be used, for example foldable plastic material, a combination of plastic material and paper, etc. . . .

The dimensions and the shape of the package 1 could be different, according to the type of food product to be transported. Furthermore, the compartment 6 could be outside the housing 5, with the wall 15 arranged substantially at the same height as the upper edge 14: in this case, the wall 4 must be shaped so as to define a compartment adapted to house the food product.

The holes 18, the inlet 32, the outlet 33 and the openings defined by the incisions 35 and by the parts 36 can be made in a number and/or in shapes and/or in dimensions different from those indicated above. For example, the holes 18 could be made in a non-uniform manner, for example on the basis of particular aesthetic requirements.

Lastly, at least one of the surfaces of the compartment 6 could be defined by a covering sheet made of aluminium or another material designed to reflect the heat. 

1-14. (canceled)
 15. A package for take-away food products, in particular for pizza, comprising: a base wall and a perimeter wall defining a housing; a support wall having an upper surface that defines a bottom of a compartment adapted to house a food product; support means for maintaining said support wall in a position that is vertically spaced and substantially parallel with respect to said base wall, so as to define a gap which is part of said housing; said support wall defining a grid having a plurality of holes that put said gap in communication with said compartment; wherein said walls and at least part of said support means are defined by one single blank sheet which has been folded.
 16. The package according to claim 15, wherein said support wall is arranged at an intermediate height of said housing.
 17. The package according to claim 15, wherein said support means comprise a suspension wall, which joins an edge of said support wall to an upper edge of said perimeter wall.
 18. The package according to claim 15, wherein said perimeter wall consists of a front wall, a rear wall and two lateral walls; and wherein said compartment communicates with the outside environment through: at least one inlet made in one of said front and rear walls, while another of said front and rear walls is without openings at said compartment; at least one outlet made in at least one of said lateral walls.
 19. The package according to claim 18, wherein said inlet and/or said outlet are defined by holes that are part of a retaining system provided to mutually hook said front, rear and lateral walls.
 20. The package according to claim 15, wherein said gap laterally is completely closed off by a lower area of said perimeter wall.
 21. The package according claim 15, wherein said support means comprise at least one tab that is arranged in said gap in substantially vertical position and couples a central portion of said support wall to a central portion of said base wall; said tab terminating with a tooth that engages a slot made in one of said central portions of said support wall and of said base wall.
 22. The package according to claim 21, wherein said tab defines an appendage that is folded with respect to another of said central portions.
 23. The package according to claim 22, wherein said tab defines an appendage that is folded with respect to said support wall.
 24. The package according to claim 21, wherein said support means comprise at least one further tab, which defines an appendage folded with respect to said support wall, extends downwards starting from an edge of said support wall and has a lower edge resting on said base wall.
 25. The package according to claim 15, further comprising a movable cover for opening/closing said compartment and a plurality of incisions that place said compartment in communication with the outside environment.
 26. The package according to claim 25, wherein said incisions have an annular trend to surround respective solid portions, which are joined to a remaining part of said cover by bridges that may be broken to be able to open or remove said solid portions.
 27. A blank sheet for obtaining a package according to claim 15, comprising: a first portion defining said base wall; a plurality of second portions defining respective rectangular walls adapted to form said perimeter wall; a third portion, which has substantially the same shape and the same dimensions as said first portion, defines said support wall with said grid; and a plurality of fourth portions defining said support means.
 28. The blank sheet according to claim 27, wherein it is made of cardboard, and wherein the holes of said grid are closed by detachable filling pieces. 